ReactOS Wants To Bring Open-Source Windows To The Cloud

ReactOS, the open-source operating system that aims for Windows API compatibility with the Windows NT kernel and aims for binary compatibility with Windows drivers and programs, is now hoping to develop a commercial cloud distribution. While ReactOS hasn't gained much adoption and is still trailing in their Windows support, they are now looking to make Throium Core, an open-source Windows compatible operating system for the cloud.

Thorium Core is ReactOS re-spun for the cloud and embedded systems. "Thorium Core will allow you to configure an optimized, virtualized or embedded system tailored to run Windows-compatible applications using fewer resources than a modern version of Windows would require, without the licensing costs and complexity associated with Microsoft products and giving the user the Freedom that comes with Open Source software."

In order to make ReactOS Throium Core a reality, the ReactOS developers have turned to Kickstarter for crowd-funding. Over the next month the ReactOS developers are hoping to raise $120,000 USD for the project. The Kickstarter campaign actually started back on Christmas but to date they have only raised about $18k and today was the ReactOS developers first time emailing us about the campaign.

Those wanting more information on their Thorium Core Cloud Desktop effort can read their project page.

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the web-site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience and being the largest web-site devoted to Linux hardware reviews, particularly for products relevant to Linux gamers and enthusiasts but also commonly reviewing servers/workstations and embedded Linux devices. Michael has written more than 10,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics hardware drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated testing software. He can be followed via Twitter and Google+ or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.